I'm seed shopping and need your help please...

I have researched heirloom (OP) corn inside and out, and am still not sure which to choose....

Among the heirloom corn varieties, which I know taste different from today's hybrid super-sweets, which heirloom variety do you think is the sweetest tasting?

What heirloom corn variety is the best for making corn meal?


What heirloom onion is the sweetest, that can be grown in zone 5b?

What is the best heirloom variety of garlic do you like to grow?

.....I'm planning my seed order and need your help please.
I can read a dozen reviews, but the opinion of you all I trust.
:) Glenda

I'm not very knowledgeable about corn, but garlic is one of my favorite things. I strongly recommend hard neck as opposed to soft neck. In general, hard neck has much larger cloves and they are easier to peel. It's also more winter hardy than soft neck, which would be good for a Michigan climate. The downside of hard neck is that it doesn't store as long as soft neck. I have had good luck refrigerating my seed garlic for planting the following year and I personally find the refrigerated stuff fine for eating, too. Others claim that the cool temps ruin the flavor and recommend drying instead. I think drying is much more destructive of flavor than cool temps.

The specific garlic I like best so far is German Extra Hardy from Seed Savers Exchange. If you plant several varieties, you'll notice significant differences in their growth patterns.

Each harvest, save the biggest bulbs for replanting and, from those select the largest cloves. I'm guessing your optimum planting time is mid-late October? Good luck and happy garlic!

Golden bantam corn...one of Burpees original sweet corns from around 1900.
http://www.seedsavers.org/onlinestore/corn/Corn-Golden-Bantam-OG.html

another good choice i think is elephant garlic, even though technically they arent a true garlic at all, more closer to the leeks side of the family, plus i love how huge they can get ;) And their flavor isnt as "in your face" as the true garlic can be, great for those that like the taste, but not preferring it to be too pungent

I am personally inclined towards the hybrids that being said last year a friend showed me his heirloom tomatoes (Arkansas Travelers) and it was well into the latter part of August and they were still in good production something unheard of here in SE Oklahoma There are some hybrids that have been around so long that they seem like heirlooms ...FYI the Elephant Garlic grows wild here in Oklahoma

of the sweet corn that was aound in the early 20 century, Golden Bantam as mentoned by drobarr is the sweetest. That said it is not as sweet as an Su hybrid. Popular sweet corn of that period that is still available are Stowell's Evergreen, Country Gentleman/Shoepeg, Howling Mob, Black Mexican and Truckers Favorite. Truckers Favorite is a short season (90day) field corn which can be used for corn meal as well as roasting ears. Other than that any open pollinated field corn makes good cornmeal. You just need to choose your color. Reids Yellow Dent and Boone County White were popular in that era. Of course if you want blue or red cornmeal there are antique varieties for that also.

Thanks Farmerdill & Drobarr! Golden Bantam it is then! :) Now, I can use Golden Bantam for corn meal, too, right??

Farmerdill, isn't cross pollination a problem with corn? If I wanted to grow Golden Bantam to eat, Truckers Favorite for corn meal, and say, another variety for popcorn, how far apart would they have to be planted?? I have acreage so I've got room to space them out.

Willy, thank you! I found your favorite garlic on Seed Savers!! I'm assuming cross pollination is not a problem between garlic varieties, because you have several kinds......yes?

Corn pollen can travel up to 500 to 600 feet. It would be best to either space them out in distance....or with time...giving them a month apart will have them pollinate at different times.

My stars.... You're so smart, drobarr! I had not thought of THAT! :-) Of course!
See, this is why I consult you all before I do things! LOL

Thank you!! :-)

Since garlic is not planted from seed, cross-pollination is definitely not a problem. In fact, other than those plants that we eat for seed, like corn, peas, and beans, cross pollination isn't an issue either UNLESS you want to save seed. And it really isn't much of a problem for beans or peas since they tend to self pollinate. Don't worry about cross pollination affecting fruits like tomatoes, squash, melons, etc. They only thing that is "crossed" is the seed itself, the fruits are actually a part of the "mother". Same for root crops, mix 'em all up and you won't affect this season's harvest.

Here in south, I think we more often plant soft neck rather than hard neck garlic. I plant both, but I plant 300+ cloves. My ratio is 1/4 hard neck and 3/4 soft neck. There is no doubt that hard neck won't store as long. We have actually used some of my soft neck, some that I put away and didn't sell, after a year and it still was garlicky and pungent. Since I only grow "gourmet" garlic, it often is just as large as "Elephant garlic", which by the way is not a garlic at all, more like a leek/onion. Soft neck also generally will be more highly rated on garlic taste and pungency. For those who have only bought garlic at their grocery stores, you have never really tasted garlic at its finest. Commercial garlic is almost always grown in CA, and usually in the Gilroy, CA area, and it is all the same, 'Early California' garlic. It rates low in garlic taste and pungency compared to "gourmet" types of garlic. Where this commercially-grown garlic might have 8-10 bulbs per pound, my garlic will often be 1/4 lb. per bulb. The best of all the gourmet garlics is one of the 'Creole' garlics. They even hold up well, keeping their garlic taste and pungency when cooked.

Ken in Mississippi